Friction stir welding or joining is a method for interconnecting members to be joined without fusion (see, for example, Patent Literature 1).
In the method, a workpiece comprising stacked members to be joined together is rested on a support tool or backing member. While rotated, a joining tool is pushed against the workpiece to assimilate together the materials softened due to frictional heat and plastic flow through stirring.
Then, the joining tool is released from the workpiece to allow the assimilated materials to solidify, thereby joining the members together.
The joining tool comprises a cylindrical shoulder and a short cylindrical pin coaxially contiguous with the shoulder, protruded as a tip of the tool and smaller in outer diameter than the shoulder.
A technique of integrating two hollow extruded shapes made of aluminum alloy and arranged side by side into a structure, using friction stir welding or joining, has been also proposed (see, for example, Patent Literature 2).
[Patent Literature 1] JP 2004-136365A
[Patent Literature 2] JP 2002-137071A